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Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha

<p dir="ltr">Eid al-Adha, also known as the Feast of the Sacrifice, is the second and the biggest celebration within Islam. </p> <p dir="ltr">This Eid celebrates the willingness of Prophet Ibrahim, also known as Abraham, to sacrifice his son Ismail as an act of obedience to Allah’s command.</p> <p dir="ltr">Just moments before Prophet Ibrahim could sacrifice his son, Allah provided him with a lamb instead of his son. </p> <p dir="ltr">The sacrifice is observed by billions of Muslims across the world who in turn sacrifice an animal as Prophet Ibrahim did. The food is shared between family, friends and the poor. </p> <p dir="ltr">Eid al-Adha is celebrated on the 10th day of Dhū al-Hijjah, the twelfth and final month of the Islamic calendar.</p> <p dir="ltr">Just as Eid al-Fitr the date is determined by the moon sighting.</p> <p dir="ltr">This year, Eid al-Adha is expected to fall on July 9 and/or July 10. Celebrations last for three days.</p> <p dir="ltr">In the lead up to Eid, Muslims make their pilgrimage to the city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia, also known as Hajj. </p> <p dir="ltr">On the day of Eid, Muslims offer their prayers at the mosque and donate money to the poor in order to ensure they are also given a chance to celebrate. </p> <p dir="ltr">Eid Mubarak to all celebrating!</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Getty </em></p>

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Bin Laden's notorious Pink Palace up for sale

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ibrahim bin Laden, Osama bin Laden’s brother, has listed his Bel Air mansion for sale, with an asking price of $AUD 38.1 million ($US 28 million) according to the </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://nypost.com/2021/07/30/osama-bin-ladens-bel-air-estate-is-on-sale-for-28m/" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">New York Post</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Property records show that Ibrahim, the older half-brother of the late terrorist, has owned the property for nearly four decades.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">When he purchased the Mediterranean-style mansion in 1983, Ibrahim spent $US 163,000 at the time - equating to roughly $US 5.5 million after adjusting for inflation.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">However, the home has been unoccupied since the September 11 attacks in 2001.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ibrahim was vacationing overseas at the time of the attack, but never returned to the US.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The listing describes the home as “ready for redoing, owner has not been here for over 20 years”.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Since the property has been long abandoned, interior photos of the home are hard to find, and the hefty price tag is based on “land value only” and location, rather than the state of the home itself.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The almost 100-year-old home, in the prestigious lower Bel Air neighbourhood, spans 600 sqm and sits on more than 8100 sqm of land.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The seven-bedroom, five-bathroom mansion was built in 1931 and features an unusual exterior of concrete that has been painted pink.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The property was previously owned by Hollywood producer Arthur Freed, who produced </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Wizard of Oz</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">An American in Paris</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">, and </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Singin’ in the Rain</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ibrahim lived in the home with his former wife, Christine Hartunian Sinay, and employed “full-time groundskeepers, household help, chauffeurs, and private security”, according to Steve Coll’s biography, </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Bin Ladens: An Arabian Family in the American Century</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Images: Realtor.com</span></em></p>

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The Gates Foundation’s prophetic coronavirus pandemic simulation

<p>On 18 October last year, the Gates Foundation, the World Economic Forum and the John Hopkins Centre for Health Security held a pandemic simulation exercise, with the aim of “educating senior leaders” about an adequate response to the type of crisis the planet is currently in the grips of.</p> <p>The simulation was called <a href="http://www.centerforhealthsecurity.org/event201/about">Event 201</a>. Fifteen participants took part in a mock pandemic emergency board. This included representatives from the UN Foundation, the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Johnson &amp; Johnson, Lufthansa and the Monetary Authority of Singapore.</p> <p>Representing Australia was ANZ board member <a href="http://www.centerforhealthsecurity.org/event201/players/halton.html">Jane Halton</a>, who incidentally has been <a href="https://www.greenleft.org.au/content/morrison-shuts-down-parliament-hands-nation-corporations">appointed</a> to the National COVID-19 Coordination Commission by Scott Morrison. The NCCC is a local body of corporate representatives designed to coordinate the economy during the very real COVID-19 crisis.</p> <p>The Event 201 scenario involved a new coronavirus – a disease that causes respiratory tract infection – that developed in pigs in South America and then infected farmers. The virus spread around the world, with some people developing mild flu-like symptoms, while others perished.</p> <p>Stranger than fiction</p> <p>Watching the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AoLw-Q8X174&amp;app=desktop">highlights of Event 201</a> – which took place just five and a half months ago – is eerie. Simulated “GNN” newsreels appear between footage of emergency board discussions, one of which involves an immunologist outlining that efforts to find a vaccine during the outbreak failed.</p> <p>The Gates Foundation’s Christopher Elias asserts that keeping global supply chains open would take “knowledge that only the private sector has”, while the UN could play a role coordinating the various private entities. But, it’s clear to Elias that this aspect of the response would rely upon corporations.</p> <p>The most distressing part of the highlights comes when the issue of the “overwhelming amounts of dis- and mis- information circulating over the internet” is broached. The board members go on to discuss whether internet shutdowns would be necessary to deal with fake news.</p> <p>Think about it – as we sit locked down in our homes during a real pandemic, with newly imposed restrictions on gatherings with others outside of our own households – what would it be like if the government and private business decided to close down the main mode of communications?</p> <p>Too little too late</p> <p>Event 21 led to seven key recommendations, all of which, it would seem now, came too late. These suggested that governments and business sectors should plan for a pandemic situation, which would include stockpiling medical supplies and investing in <a href="https://www.sydneycriminallawyers.com.au/blog/should-child-vaccination-be-compulsory/">vaccination</a> development capabilities.</p> <p>The outcome of the simulated pandemic was catastrophic, with 65 million people dying in the first 18 months. The outbreak was small at first and seemed controllable. But, once it started spreading through the poor neighbourhoods of megacities, it exploded, with cases in nearly every country.</p> <p>“We have to ask, did this need to be so bad?” says a GNN mock news presenter. “Are there things we could have done in the five to ten years leading up to the pandemic that would have lessened the catastrophic consequences?”</p> <p>The presenter concludes, “We believe the answer is yes.” However, that timeframe to prepare is now lost.</p> <p><em>Written by Paul Gregoire. Republished with permission of <a href="https://www.sydneycriminallawyers.com.au/blog/the-gates-foundations-prophetic-coronavirus-pandemic-simulation/">Sydney Criminal Lawyers.</a> </em></p>

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